


Elbows Down, Pinkies Up, That's The Way You Sip My Cup

by Lady_Phenyx



Series: Fluffvember 2019 [20]
Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Flower Crowns, Fluff, Multi, Snusmumriken | Snufkin & Ninni | Ninny Adopted Siblings, Snusmumriken | Snufkin Has Paws and a Tail, Tea Parties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-18 04:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21505426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Phenyx/pseuds/Lady_Phenyx
Summary: After Snufkin finds a tin of tea in his bag he brought back for Snorkmaiden from his travels (as a friend, he doesn't have a crush, what are you talking about My) he goes searching for her to hand it over and finds himself drawn into his big sister's tea party.But with Too-Ticky, Ninny, Little My, Snorkmaiden, Moominmamma, and Snufkin's mother in attendance, the chances of this being a formal party are very low indeed.Fluffvember Day 20: Flower crowns | Everything's better with Tea
Relationships: Mumintrollet | Moomintroll & Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Mumintrollet | Moomintroll/Snorkfröken | The Snork Maiden/Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Springtime Trio
Series: Fluffvember 2019 [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533602
Comments: 4
Kudos: 64





	Elbows Down, Pinkies Up, That's The Way You Sip My Cup

Snufkin was rummaging in his bag for his tackle box when he found the little tin.

He stared at it for a moment blankly, tail lashing – he didn't carry many extras along with him (despite himself, ones from Moomin and Snorkmaiden and his sister had snuck in, bits of seashell and letters mostly, as well as practical things from Moominmamma and Moominpappa, like the expanded first aid kit and a better notebook and travel writing kit) so finding one was a disconcerting sensation.

Snufkin carefully twisted the little tin open and remembered as soon as the fragrance hit him.

Snorkmaiden was in love with the idea of tea, of the pretty tea party and the ritual around the drink, so when he'd found a tea seller during his travels, Snufkin had listened to the urge to stop and look.

This tea, a floral sort of blend, a blend Snufkin hadn't tried before and he was sure they didn't have in Moomin Valley, had smelled like a Snorkmaiden sort of tea to him. So much so that he could picture her when he smelled it, the first thing to come to mind. He'd said as much when the shopkeeper asked what had put that smile on his face, and Snufkin had found himself leaving with a present of the tea, “for your girlfriend, that she could put such a look on your face just with being reminded of her.”

It still made him blush to think of it.

Okay, so maybe had had a bit of a soft spot for Snorkmaiden...and a bigger one for Moomin.

...okay, it was more than a bit of a soft spot for them both, if the entries and poetry in his notebook meant anything. It didn't mean he needed called out for it.

He did that to himself often enough, and knew how futile letting the feelings grow were. Enough that he cared for them, and knew they cared for him in return. Wishing for more was as practical as wishing for the stars.

Snufkin slipped the tin into his pocket and left the tent. May as well find Snorkmaiden and give it to her. No reason to make a big deal over it. That would make it seem...more than what it was. It was just something he'd found on his travels that made him think of Snorkmaiden. Nothing big. Nothing to read into.

...he could hear Little My and his parents laughing at him, Joxter giving him that look that said he was going to try and find a time to talk to his son later (something Snufkin had successfully avoided until now), and shoved the thought aside. Not thinking about it. Not today.

Now, where could Snorkmaiden be this fine day?

\---XXX---

Snufkin took his time looking – it wasn't as if the tea was going to go bad in his pocket while he looked, after all. And it really was a lovely day for walking about the valley.

Still, when he passed by the Snork house, he made his way up the walk and knocked at the door to see if Snorkmaiden might still be home. He was a bit surprised when Snork actually answered – he hardly ever answered the door.

“Hello, I thought you'd be working upstairs or at the ship today,” Snufkin greeted him.

“Oh, I was just on my way out,” Snork answered. “If you're looking for Snorkmaiden, she was going to tea today, something about Mymble inviting her and Moominmamma and Mymble's mother for a tea party. I think it's turning into a regular fortnightly thing.”

“I was, so thank you,” Snufkin said. “Good luck with your ship today.”

“I think I'm really close to a breakthrough!” Snork said confidently.

As Snork said that rather often, Snufkin didn't take it too seriously, but waved Snork good bye and continued on his way. With any luck, Snork would get that breakthrough he'd been trying for and get that ship to fly. Snufkin was silently rooting for him.

Snufkin didn't rush. All things considered, he had plenty of time to get to Mymble's house before he'd be considered 'crashing the party'.

\---XXX---

Moominmamma was already there when Snufkin arrived, and he snuck up behind her silently, slipping the flower crown he carried onto her head from behind.

She jumped, reaching up to touch the crown and giggling as Snufkin stepped up to her side, kissing her cheek. “Hello, Mamma,” he said.

“Snufkin,” she said warmly. “I didn't know you were coming.”

“Technically I'm not. I found something I wanted to give to Snorkmaiden, and her brother said I could find her here. I brought flower crowns in case I crashed the party,” he added, lifting his arm, which had several more flower crowns hanging from it like too-large bracelets.

Snorkmaiden, who was helping Mymble carry the small table outside, perked up her ears, giving him a look of amazed pleasure. “A present? For me? Really, Snufkin?”

Snufkin laughed lightly to cover his embarrassment, gently placing a flower crown on his sister's head and accepting her kiss to the cheek, giving her one in return, before turning and carefully giving Snorkmaiden her crown, setting it gently into place. “It's not much,” he said, digging out the tin as Snorkmaiden happily touched her crown. “I found this tea while I was traveling, and I thought you might like it, so...”

He did flush lightly under the looks he was given at that point, handing over the little tin and pretending not to notice.

“Oh, it smells so pretty!” Snorkmaiden exclaimed. “Snufkin, thank you so much! Mymble, would you mind...?”

“Of course not, if you want to share,” Mymble said. “You'll stay, won't you, Snufkin? Oh, please do, you've already got your own crown,” she said when he would have excused himself, pointing to the one he'd made with the others and placed on his hat to sit along the brim, “and you brought the tea. We're just waiting on Mother, Too-Ticky, and Ninny. And probably Little My as well, she usually invites herself along.”

Snufkin was strong willed and didn't bend to pressure under the most intense of circumstances, yet he couldn't seem to bring himself to say no when three pairs of beloved eyes turned to him.

A minute later and he was bringing out the other chairs and helping Snorkmaiden to brew the tea as Mymble set up the table to her specifications.

He slipped away long enough to make an extra set of flower crowns, and just in time. Too-Ticky and Ninny were on their way up the path as he finished, waving to Snufkin, Ninny running ahead with arms outstretched for her hug.

She got it, with a will, squeezed tight and nuzzled as she launched herself into Snufkin's arms. Snufkin produced the flower crown and she laughingly dropped into a curtsey so he could theatrically crown her with the small circlet.

Snufkin felt a connection with Ninny – they'd both been invisible at some point, and it had taken him longer than her to get all the bits, tail and paws to be precise, back – and she'd decided at some point after learning about that, after Too-Ticky started dating his big sister, that e was her big brother now.

Snufkin found he didn't mind one little bit. He'd thought he'd have a hard time with the whole brother thing with his own sisters, but it was much easier than he'd thought – and he liked it much more than he'd ever expected. Ninny was easy to love, he'd found.

Too-Ticky traded her tam for the second crown easily, bending so Ninny could place it just so, smiling at Snufkin as they made their way to Mymble's, one to either side of Snufkin and their arms linked.

The flower crown for their mother and the smaller one for Little My (who Snufkin was sure was going to appear sooner or later) were left with Moominmamma, who was expressly teased into staying seated for once as the last preparations were put into place.

Ninny perked up as a thought occurred to her and whispered to Mymble, who giggled before they both disappeared inside the house, returning with ribbons.

“If we're being fancy, then those with tails should have bows on them,” Mymble announced, brandishing the ribbons. She tied one carefully onto Moominmamma's tail, while Snorkmaiden shyly asked Snufkin to tie hers.

Ninny took charge of tying Snufkin's, a slightly more difficult task than tying the other two, as Snufkin's tail was thick and fluffy, like a cat's, making tying a bow without pulling on the fur more difficult.

Snorkmaiden helped her after a moment as Snufkin held his tail carefully still for them, giving it a pleased little flick when they were done so the ribbon would dance, making Ninny and Snorkmaiden giggle with delight.

For all he liked his clothing old and soft and broken in, Snufkin wasn't opposed to fancying up now and again. He'd found he rather like it, honestly, when he was here with people who didn't try and force him into starched and stiff fancy clothing. He just didn't have room for extra changes of clothes in his pack.

They all heard when Mymblemamma arrived, and turned to find her hugging Moominmamma, lifting her off her feet with the force of the hug.

Snufkin meeped very, very softly and attempted to flee when Mymblemamma's eyes fell on him, but he wasn't fast enough to escape and was caught up in his own sweeping hug.

He laughed softly as he was set back on his feet, stumbling and catching his hat just before he lost it. Mymble prevented being swept off her feet by stepping forward to give their mother a kiss on the cheek and presenting the flower crown Snufkin had brought for her.

Little My popped out from behind their mother and Moominmamma gently set the last flower crown on her head, straightening it until it sat just right while Snorkmaiden brought out the teapot and Mymble fetched the food, with Snufkin's help so she wouldn't need to make multiple trips.

Once the tea was poured and polite questions over passing the food complete, Snufkin waited tensely for what was to come next.

Moominmamma giggled softly, patting his paw. “I believe our Snufkin's worried about what he's just signed himself up for, now that the party's begun,” she said.

“As if we could have one of the fillyjonk's properly stuffy tea parties with the seven of us together,” Mymblemamma laughed outright. “Though the crowns and ribbons do add a classy touch.”

Little My grinned at Snufkin over the rim of her teacup. “It's story and gossip time,” she said gleefully, planting her elbows on the table. “Real gossip, not the prim kind.”

“Oh really?” Snufkin drawled, copying his sister.

“Elbows off the table, please,” Moominmamma said serenely. “We keep up at least a little of the pretense of a classy tea party.”

Snufkin and Little My shared a laugh but obeyed while Ninny giggled.

\---XXX---

Moomin made his way up the path towards Mymble's house.

Moominmamma was still at the tea party – it was becoming a regular, scheduled meeting, now, once a fortnight, which was a good thing, Mamma needed a time to have fun and relax – but he couldn't find Snufkin anywhere and was wondering if any of them had seen him.

Not that Snufkin didn't regularly go off on his own, and want that time to himself. Moomin just wanted to spend some time with Snufkin and thought maybe he hadn't, and figured it wouldn't hurt to wander a little and see if he could find Snufkin somewhere.

There was a burst of laughter from behind Mymble's house, loud, female laughter, and Moomin felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach.

Get Little My, Mymble, and Mymblemamma together with Snorkmaiden and everyone in the vicinity, especially all those who identified as male, needed to beware when they started laughing.

He just hoped he wasn't the butt of the joke this time.

Moomin turned the corner just in time to hear Snufkin's voice and he stopped short in surprise, staring silently as he processed what he heard and saw.

“Moominmamma, you _didn't!_ ” Snufkin cried, laughing so hard he almost couldn't get the words out.

Moominmamma sniffed, faking offense. “I don't see how it's that hard to believe. You're not the only one who can have adventures and run ins with overzealous authority figures, you know.”

The rest of them were laughing, loud and hard, Ninny and Too-Ticky, Snorkmaiden and Mymble and Mymblemamma, as Snufkin and Moominmamma kept bantering, tea momentarily forgotten.

They all were wearing flower crowns, ones that looked a bit like Snufkin's work, and Moomin was surprised, just a little, to see even Snufkin had a bow on his tail.

It was a very nice bow, and it was hard to tear his eyes away from the very pretty tail it was tied to. Snufkin and Snorkmaiden both made such a pretty picture this way, with the light falling just so, the flowers and the ribbons and the laughter lighting up their faces, it was hard to stop staring.

Moomin slowly backed away before he could be seen.

They were all having so much fun, he didn't want to ruin it. And he didn't want to be caught staring like the lovesick fool he knew he was.

\---XXX---

“So, you brought this tea back for Snorkmaiden?” Mymblemamma asked, folding her hands and resting her elbows on the table to lay her chin on her interlaced fingers, watching her son with a faint smirk playing around her lips.

He paused, his cup half raised. “Don't,” he said shortly. “I found it and it made me think of Snorkmaiden, that's all. And the shopkeeper insisted I take it.”

“It made you think of me?” Snorkmaiden asked, the look of amazement from before coming back harder than ever, now starry eyed as well, with happy, flushed pinks sliding through her fur.

Snufkin glared quickly at his mother, who had remembered the 'rules' of the tea party and leaned back, elbows off the table, but was more smug than earlier, watching it play out.

Little My was much less patient than her mother or sister. “Oh, come on already. You only do that sort of thing with people you love. I am so sick of all the pining around here, would you just come out and say it already?”

Snorkmaiden had gone pale beside Snufkin, and Little My gave her a Look as well.

“...I love people here in Moomin Valley and that's why I come back every year,” Snufkin said, deadpan. “I love my friends and the family I made here.”

Little My glared daggers at him. It was the truth, and they both knew it, but it wasn't the confession she wanted, even if it had made everyone else at the table incredibly happy.

Then she grinned, slow and far too knowing for Snufkin's comfort.

Mymble and Snufkin went very still, watching Little My warily. They knew that grin all too well.

“Well, the things you write about in your little notebook sure don't make it sound like that,” Little My said, whipping out the notebook Snufkin had left behind last autumn, trading it for a new one as that one was filled.

It had been left in a hidden spot in Moomin House, and was clearly Snufkin's, from the writing on the cover to the way it had been well worn.

He stood in a rush. “How did you get that ‽” he demanded, tail bristling.

Little My waved the small book tauntingly. “You can't hide things from me,” she teased. “The poems for your sisters and Moominmamma are really nice, but I really like this one,” she said, flipping through the book.

Snufkin darted around the table, reaching for Little My. “Don't you dare!” he snapped.

Little My cackled and leapt from her chair, racing to the other side of the table.

“My, you give that back!” Mymble demanded as Little My and Snufkin continued the chase. Little My stuck out her tongue and dodged her sister while their mother laughed and Snorkmaiden yelped, scolding Little My.

Snufkin launched himself around the table, his sudden panic over the little book's reveal so out of character none were quite sure what to do – save for Little My, who was enjoying herself thoroughly.

Who was so busy avoiding her siblings she dodged right into Moominmamma's paws.

“That's enough, dear,” she said, carefully taking the book from the protesting Little My. “We're all tired of the pining, but be nice to your brother.”

“But all three of them are hopeless!” Little My whined. “And embarrassing him is my duty as his big sister!”

Snufkin and Snorkmaiden both froze.

_All three of them?_

They slowly looked at each other, cautious hope blooming.

Snorkmaiden slowly held out her paw. “Could I see that, Snufkin?”

Snufkin was blushing now, hiding behind his hat, keenly aware of the others. “I wrote them thinking no one else would see them,” he mumbled.

Moominmamma passed him the book, and Snufkin looked at it for a long moment before giving Little My a quick, disgruntled look and flipping through the pages, stopping and checking before holding it out to Snorkmaiden.

She read in silence, slowly growing pinker as she did.

Her eyes traveled over the page once, twice, a third time as tension grew.

Then she carefully closed the book and very, very carefully placed it on the table.

Snufkin collapsed in on himself as the wait dragged on, tail curling up tight as his arms tightened, waiting for the rejection.

“Snorkmaiden, I...I'm sorry, can we just...!”

He was cut off with a small exclamation as Snorkmaiden wrapped her arms around him.

“You're the sweetest, most romantic, amazing boyfriend!” she gasped as Snufkin froze. “And Moomin is going to think the same! Yes, we'll date you! We didn't know how to ask!”

Mymblemamma raised her teacup. “To the three of them finally getting it,” she toasted.

The others raised their cups as Snorkmaiden and Snufkin gaped.

“Did all of you know?” Snufkin demanded.

Mymble shook her head. “No, but we knew you were all very close,” she said, as Too-Ticky and Ninny nodded in agreement. “Communication is key, you'd better start talking instead of pining,” she added, covering Too-Ticky's hand with her own. “I should know. It took my trio long enough.”

Too-Ticky smiled at her lovingly as Ninny giggled.

“Now then...who wants to hear what Joxter and the other children did about the Park Keeper that tried to take part of our orchard for a park last week, before one of those two melt from all the attention?” Mymblemamma laughed.

“I do!” Snufkin, Snorkmaiden, Little My, and Ninny chorused, before laughing.

Snufkin was very glad, suddenly, that he'd found that tea today...and that Little My had found his notebook, embarrassing as it was.

He was still going to have to find some way to pay her back for it, though.

It was his duty as a little brother.


End file.
